


Paying Attention

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-04-16
Updated: 2007-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-26 10:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10785180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: You'll be surprized at what you learn if you....





	Paying Attention

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

**Paying Attention.**  

 by alloy

"Excuse me Mister Potter." 

Harry jolted from a homework-induced doze. He glanced around quickly. Next to him Ron sat slouched, his eyes half shut. He wasn’t sleeping, he was merely contriving to appear as if he was sleeping.

He was, in fact, spying on Hermione. 

Hermione was surrounded by a gaggle of first year girls offering her usual quick-fire homework assistance. Hermione seemed to regard it as part of her prefects’ duties and while Ron complained bitterly about it, Harry had noticed he never refused to help the occasional youngster who approached him. 

"Mister Potter sir?"

For a moment Harry struggled to find a name to go with the face. 

"Yes Wanksdawn."

"Could you help me with my muggle-studies homework sir?"

"Umm." Harry was rather unsure of himself. "Can’t Miss Granger help you?"

"She could sir." The young wizard glanced in Hermione’s direction. "But those witches don’t let a wizard get a chance." 

Next to him Ron snorted.

"Alright then." He said. "What is it?" 

"How do muggle Aeroplanes stay in the air?"

‘How did they?’ Harry didn’t have a clue. 

"Ummm." He said "They have wings."

"But they don’t flap." The boy seemed very certain of that. "And they’re not allowed to use magic."

"Can’t." Harry corrected. He looked helplessly over to Hermione. She seemed oblivious to his predicament.

Ron suddenly sat upright. "Listen carefully squirt." He said. "Cause it’s complicated."

Harry leant forward. No certain what to make of this.

"It’s called ‘lift’" Ron said. "The muggles shape the wing so that wind blowing underneath it pushes it upward."

"Like magic." Wanksdawn said.

Ron shook his head. "It’s nothing to do with magic. It’s like…." Ron paused thoughtfully. "It’s like when you’re on a broomstick. Madam Hooch tells you to keep your head and body down. Why?"

"So you don’t get blown off."

"Exactly! Only the muggles make it so that as they move forward they get blown upward as fast as they fall downward."

There was silence for a moment and Harry was startled to hear the word "Lift" emanating from the witches surrounding Hermione.

Wanksdawn grinned at Ron and began scribbling furiously on his parchment.

"How did you know that Ron?" Harry asked. "You’ve never done Muggle Studies."

Ron slouched back down again. "You just got to pay attention Harry."

"To what."

Ron sighed and cast a longing eye across the common room. "Every little thing Harry."

_"Every little thing."_


End file.
